1977 Royal Lytham & St. Annes, St. Annes, England

The Great Britain-Ireland Team had lobbied for another format change, reducing the number of matches by nearly a third and leaving 20 total points to be decided. This proved a disastrous move due to a 45-minute interval between starting times to accommodate television broadcasts. The U.S. Team quickly jumped out to an advantage by taking a 3 ½ to 1 ½ margin the opening day of foursomes and a 4-1 advantage in the second-day Four-Ball. Though the teams split the singles, 5-5, the U.S. had won its 20th straight Ryder Cup Matches. England's Nick Faldo competed despite glandular fever and won all three of his matches. Fellow countryman Peter Dawson became the first left-hander to compete for either team. This was the final Matches before a major upheaval took place that would produce unlimited popularity and competitive balance in the Matches. During the 1977 Matches, officials of the PGA of America and the PGA of Great Britain conferred about allowing players from continental Europe into the competition. Jack Nicklaus made his own pitch for the change during the competition in a meeting with Lord Derby. The original Deed of Trust struck between Samuel Ryder and the PGA of Great Britain was amended and a new era of Ryder Cup history was about to dawn with the 1979 Matches.